August 4, 2010
Below is a fantastic piece of equipment from Sinar. What more would you expect from these folks. If you want view camera capabilities without the bulk this is the piece of equipment to buy.
The Sinar p SLR can be used with all digital single lens reflex cameras (Canon, Nikon) that are currently available on the market. Thanks to the quick clamping adapter that is included with the set, the change from vertical to horizontal format can be performed with effortless ease within seconds.
When the single lens reflex cameras is connected directly to the camera via USB or FireWire, the integrated strain relief provides safety while working and protection of the USB / FireWire socket on the camera.
A positioning and centering aid serves for the exact positioning of the digital single lens reflex camera on the optical axis. This ensures that the sensor of the digital camera is positioned perfectly in both the vertical as well as the horizontal format setting. This function is indispensable for the unrestricted use of the advantages of the view camera and for working professionally.
August 4, 2010
Well here I am into the first week in August and way behind on my blog. No excuses at this time but I am taking down my Desktop Calendar Page due to a decrease in file size. Word Press at this time is putting a limit on file size at 2mb which for one photo is OK. My files for the monthly calendars have been over 2mb so it’s a no go for downloading. I will start up a new Desktop Calendar page at the start of 2011. The response and emails have been very positive so I look forward to getting back into producing them again.
May 2, 2010
Head over to my Backyard Captures post for a close look at this image titled Orchard Blooms. Extreme warm weather in south western Michigan about 3 weeks ago brought about many fruit trees to bloom early. Great for photography but not exactly good for the fruit crop. Michigan ranks third in the country for apple production. In the running are Washington and New York. Click on this link to take a look: http://www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/05/26/backyard-captures/
May 27, 2010
Time has really gotten away from me this month due to a power loss at my residence. I have lost power many times without a problem to anything including my computer. This time around the power got knocked out without any signs of loud, cracking thunderstorms. After the power went out and came back on within 2-3 minutes I proceeded to turn my computer back on-Could not get the hard drive to boot up normally. To make a long story short the hard drive was shot-being 75% prepared I have everything backed up on 3 external hard drives. What I did not prepare for properly was a battery backup surge protector. I am not referring to a simple surge protector strip you might waste your money on at your local hardware store or giant retailer that we all patronize. What you want for example is the APC battery backup system. The one I went out and purchased is the APC 550 VA ES Series. Simple but yet very effective for saving your data and equipment
Orchard Blooms
April 26, 2010
The May Desktop/Wallpaper is ready for downloading. Great image from the southwestern part of Michigan and showcasing one of the leading industry’s in the area-which you guessed it is fruit. Go to my Desktop/Wallpaper page and pick your screen resolution. I have made some changes to the sizes I am offering. One size that is the most popular or widely used is 1024 x 768. Over 50 % of individuals worldwide use this screen resolution.
April 1, 2010
The April Desktop/Wallpaper is ready and on time this month. Just head over to my Desktop/Wallpaper page and find your screen resolution. Click on the size you want and it will open in a new window. Right click the image, follow the instructions and your good to go. Hope you enjoy and please feel free to comment on these wallpapers if you like. I would really like to get your feedback so that I can improve on them.
March 1, 2010
New Desktop/Wallpaper for March is ready to make your computer screen that much more enjoyable to look at. Plus you will always know what deadlines are looming over the horizon!
Go to my Desktop/Wallpaper page http://www.dickberryphotography.com/desktop-wallpapers/ and click on the screen resolution that best matches your computer screen. If you don’t see your screen resolution listed feel free to email me and I would be happy to set one up for you. Thanks and enjoy!
Storm clouds over the Atlantic
Added a new image to my blog which can be found in my “North Pier Details” post. The shot is titled “Ice Triplets” and for me it’s a sign that maybe winter is reaching it’s end in our wonderful state of Michigan. Well maybe for us folks in the lower southwest region. You hardened winter people in the UP will still have snow on the ground towards the end of April. You can get to North Pier Details faster by clicking on this link:http://www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/01/20/details/
CBS 60 Minute video “Poisoned”
New video added to my Vidcast post urging all to read my article titled: “Africa without Lions” . Select the link and read the story: http://www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/03/05/vidcast/ . Please follow the link at the end of the article and sign the petition.
Thank you!
New month, new content, and a free desktop wallpaper with calendar so you never loose track of what day it is. If your screen resolution is 1920 x 1200 pixels this will work out just fine. Right click on the image and select “Set as Wallpaper”. Oh almost forgot you Mac people out there-I really don’t think I need to tell you what to do. If you have forgotten how to do so just select “Use Image as Desktop Picture”. Additional sizes to fit your screen can be found by clicking on the link: http://www.dickberryphotography.com/desktop-wallpapers/. Hope you like it and if you have any problems or comments on these new desktop wallpapers please contact me.
1920 x 1200 Resolution Desktop Wallpaper
Jan. 21, 2010
Sigma APO 200-500 F/2.8
Image: Sigma
Perhaps the most “wanted and or “needless” of the items presented in this list, this is one of the biggest telephoto zoom lenses for SLR cameras around. While the zoom range of 200-500mm is nothing new or exciting, it’s the maximum aperture of an incredible f/2.8 throughout the focal range that makes this such a special lens. This little puppy only weighs about 35 pounds so you won’t get too tired hauling this around in the field or maybe your next sport shooting assignment!
While a lot of telephoto lenses have a distinct cannon barrel look, Sigma have apparently done all they can to enhance that trait, giving the lens a green finish. The end result is an extremely fast telephoto zoom lens that could easily be confused with a surface-to-air missile launcher.
Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 1700 mm F4
Image: Zeiss
For people who have been into photography for a while, the name Carl Zeiss means top of the line optical quality, usually with a matching price tag. While continuing to produce their top-of-the-line optics for various camera systems, Zeiss have more recently also begun cooperating with Nokia and Sony, making optics for their mobile phones and digital cameras.
Two years ago, the company presented a remarkable one-off telephoto lens, reportedly custom built for a wealthy Qatari. Weighing in at about 565 pounds, it’s is a 1700mm f/4 lens designed for medium format (which roughly equals 750mm in 35mm SLR format). The monster bears more than a fleeting resemblance to a jet engine; given the size the ‘super telephoto lens’ labeling on the side seems a little well…. – it isn’t very likely that it would be mistaken for an average 70-200mm, after all.
The little black stump at the end is your average 6×6 medium format camera, in itself a quite bulky piece of equipment, but completely dwarfed by the Zeiss lens. Upon it’s introduction, it was said to be the largest non-military telephoto lens in the world. One wonders what the largest military telephoto lens might look like.
Drawing from their experience in manufacturing large telescopes and instruments for astronomical sciences, Zeiss had to develop an entirely new focusing system, Due to the massive size of the glass elements, the lens had to be equipped with extremely powerful focusing motors, capable of moving all that heavy glass around. The rear end of the lens has a dedicated LCD monitor built in to display focusing distance, aperture etc. No price has been published, but Zeiss hinted at a price of at least several million US dollars.
The intended use for the lens is reportedly “antelope photography”. This doesn’t immediately strike one as the kind of kit you want to bring along on a safari to photograph fast moving and easily startled animals – hiding in the bushes is certainly off the agenda – but the uncompromising construction is said to allow the lens to auto focus as fast as a ‘regular’ telephoto lens.
Polaroid 20×24” Camera
Image: Joyce Vanman / www.mammothcamera.com
The average film camera has for the last 50 years used either 120 rollfilm or so-called 135 film, 135 being by far the most commonly used type. Each frame of 135 film is 36×24 milimeters, while the average consumer dSLR camera today has a sensor size of approximately 60% of this, around 23×15 milimeters. The sensors in digital compacts are much smaller still. Within this tiny space, the camera and its lens has to compress the vast amount of detail visible to the human eye. The resulting replications of reality are far from perfect, they can’t be.
One way of partially overcoming this problem is quite simply to use larger film formats or digital sensors. Within the digital realm, the 48x36mm sensor size available in certain medium format digital backs is pretty much as large as it gets without substantial R&D resources (like what a major corporation, national government or army might have at their disposal).
In film, things are a bit simpler. While constructing huge digital sensors is a challenging task, creating a huge sheet of film or photographic paper is really – simply put – just a matter of making it bigger than usual, and building a camera large enough to house it.
The biggest ‘instant’ camera I know of is Polaroid’s 20×24” behemoth. It’s 1.5 meters tall and weighs about 235 pounds. The Polaroid paper sheets used in this camera is, as the name implies, 20 x 24”, which equals 50×60 cm. Keeping in mind that the aforementioned 135 film is a mere 3.6 x 2.4 cm, it’s easy to see why such a larger-than-life camera would be capable of producing prints of far superior detail compared to smaller formats.
A number of these cameras are available for hire, complete with a dedicated studio space, in San Fransisco, New York and Prague. Following Polaroid’s recent announcement that they will completely cease the production of their signature instant film, there is a certain risk that these cameras will be destined for the museum soon.
Seitz 6×17” digital panoramic camera
Image: Seitz
I have to have this camera were the last words I spoke to my wife as she kicked me out of the house!
Instead of the common digital camera sensor which records the entire scene at once, the Seitz 6×17” uses a scanner to literally scan the view through the lens. The end result is 160 megapixel images in a panoramic format. It does the job a bit faster than your average flatbed scanner though, recording a full-sized frame (21 250 x 7500 pixels) in two seconds. It’s big, it’s heavy, roughly 11 pounds and quite strange looking, but it turns out huge, amazing photos – and it should, costing as it does $42 000. I think I need ….. I mean want 2 of these!
Hasselblad H3DII
Image: Hasselblad
Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad (or “‘blad” as they are often called) has for a long time been ranked among the very best when it comes to cameras. Indeed, NASA’s space programme chose Hasselblad as their camera provider, and three Hasseblads where carried aboard the Apollo 11 mission, perhaps the company’s most famous feat.
Priced at around $40 000, a Hasselblad H3DII with a 39 megapixel backpiece is one of the most expensive photo kits available in ordinairy retail sale. It’s fairly large, fabulously expensive and capable of creating huge, extremely detailed image files with its 39 megapixel, 48x36mm sensor.
For photographing your cat, you can probably make do without this camera, but if you’re shooting supermodels for Vogue, you might just need a camera of this caliber. If you ever watch TV shows like “Top Model”, there’s a fair chance you’ll see a ‘blad involved in a shoot every now and then.
Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6L USM
Image: Robert
While the 1700mm lens mentioned earlier is all fine and dandy if you’ve got a truck to mount it onto, some may prefer a more lightweight, nimble sollution. Weighing a mere 16.5 kilos and being only 83 centimeters long (without the bucket-like hood), this delicate little flower will nevertheless magnify faraway objects (or perhaps more relevant, faraway people) to a degree that will leave little to the imagination. To my knowledge, this is the longest focal length available to autofocus SLR cameras without using any extra magnifiers.
Due to its size, limited area of use and robust price tag, it has only been available from Canon built to order, and to date they have apparently produced fewer than 20 samples of this lens. The company recently announced that they would be slashing the 1200mm from their catalogue, so if you want one, better be quick about it.
The suggested price of the lens upon unveiling in 1993, converted to present day money puts it at apx. $120 000, or the cost of “a small sports car” which is the most common price comparison given for the lens.
The Gigapxl Project
Launched by physicist Graham Flint, the Gigapxl Project set about creating a camera system that would allow the creation of photos with billions of pixels (or thousands of megapixels if you like). The Gigapxl Project employs a large format camera with 9×18” film sheets to shoot big panorama photos of places of interest, primarily in the USA.
The film sheets are then scanned using a highly sophisticated technique, resulting in digital files that contain the equivalent resolution of several gigapixels. Though the original aim was to reach a single gigapixel (1000 megapixels), the project website now claims it is able to create images with a resolution of aproximately 6 gigapixels.
Nowadays, camera manufactureres like to stick very dense sensors into tiny consumer cameras with mediocre optics, which results in images that despite the 12 or 14 megapixel resolution aren’t really any better than 4 megapixels. It’s a way of cheating customers who don’t know much about digital photography as most people seem to think that more megapixels equals better photos, which is a truth with great limitations.
It would be easy to think that the Gigapxl Project is much the same, just a whole lot of pixels wasted on creating huge digital files that contain little in terms of actual details. However, at the project website, it’s made very clear that the technology and knowledge put into these photos means that the 2, 4 or 6 gigapixel photos they produce are in fact as detailed as their pixel size suggests. But why take my word for it? Check out the amazing images in their gallery for an idea of what I’m talking about!
Cameratruck
Image: Cameratruck
A pinhole camera is perhaps the simplest kind of camera there is. You make a tiny hole in an otherwise light-sealed container, but in a sheet of film or other photo-sensitive media, point it towards what you want to photograph and let light pass through the hole for a set period of time. The reflected light will, just like the light reflected through the lens of an ordinairy camera result in a photo, be it through a digital sensor or on a piece of film.
Pretty much any container can be made into a pinhole camera; the more outlandish the better – the Pringles Cam,Spam Cam and Trashcan Cam are just a few examles I’ve seen.
But it could also be built out of a box truck, which is exactly what an inventive bunch of spaniards and americans did. By drilling a hole in its side and attaching huge sheets of photographic paper (100×30 cm) to the inside of a truck, they created a huge mobile pinhole camera.
“The Great Picture”
The photographic canvas of “The Great Picture”
Image: The Legacy Project
But why stop at a truck, when you could convert an entire airplane hangar into a pinhole camera? While the Cameratruck above is touted as the world’s largest mobile camera, this hangar is certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest camera in existance, albeit immobile.
It’s basically an old hangar building at the disused El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Southern California, which has been made light tight to ensure no light gets in except through the little pinhole in one of the hangar’s sides. To create the image alluringly described as “The Great Picture”, a huge sheet of made-to-order canvas was suspended inside the hangar and coated in 80 litres of Liquid Light, making it photosensitive.
The exposure time of the world’s largest camera was set to aproximately 35 minutes, after which the canvas was chemically developed (in a pool of 2300 litres of developer – photography at this scale does not come cheap!) into the world’s largest photo, 313 square meters (3375 square feet) in size.
Compare that to a standard 135 film frame, which you might remember from earlier on in the article is 36×24 milimeters, equalling 8.64 square centimeters, or 0.00864 square meters.
Jan. 20, 2010
New addition to my blog is titled Feathers and is completely unconventional compared to other captures I have put up on this site. This image was captured some time ago but I wanted to post it because of the technique I used to achieve the end result.
Feathers
Jan. 11, 2010
Abstract Ice
Just added an image titled Abstract Ice to my Backyard Captures post which you can find by clicking on this link: http://www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/05/26/backyard-captures/
Added a great site dealing with panoramic photography. Check this site out if you want to learn more about shooting panoramics and stitching them together. There is also info on equipment, software, and examples of what people have done with their pano’s. Look for the link titled Panoguide on my right sidebar under Photographic Links or get to it by clicking this link:http://www.panoguide.com/
Jan. 1, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Dec. 25, 2009
Merry Christmas to all my friends and family. I also want to wish a very Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you who have taken the time to visit my blog, checked out my work, and left a comment or two. Have a great day with your friends and family and check back soon for more photo news and more images!
Dec. 16, 2009
Check this link out for my newest addition to my blog. The image caption is Solitary Pine and you will find it under my Backyard Captures post. Click on the link to view the image. http:/ /www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/05/26/backyard-captures/
Solitary Pine
Dec. 2, 2009
New image titled Catwalk Ice Detail has been added to my North Pier Details post. Let me know what you think or if you have ever been out to the North Pier which is located in Saint Joseph, MI. Link to the image is: http://www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/01/20/details/
Catwalk Ice Detail
Nov. 26, 2009
New NatGeo Vidcast
Go to my Vidcast post below to find out what it’s like to try and capture images of the Leopard Seal!
http://www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/03/05/vidcast/
Photography news for November 25, 2009
Photo District News
Photographers Virtual Trade Show
December 2 & 3, 2009
Photo District News in partnership with B&H will be having what they call their Photographers Virtual Trade Show which will enable anyone to attend a virtual online trade show for professional and serious amateur photographers. I found out about this through Andy Biggs who will be conducting a session on color printing. I highly recommend registering and signing up for this. Andy Biggs is a professional nature/wildlife photographer who also writes printing profiles for Moab. Moab produces some of the best photographic paper on the market today. Follow this link to register- http://vshow.on24.com/event/17/09/02/rt/index.html?&eventid=170902&sessionid=1&key=522AAA6C522974380126D9ADBFA70609&sourcepage=register
This trade show takes place on December 2 & 3, 2009 so don’t procrastinate-Sign Up!
Nov. 3, 2009
Decided to add a new post titled Blog, Photo, & Tech Updates. I will have links to new images I have added, along with current news and photography tech. You will also be linked to other areas of my blog that I have recently updated or added to.
Nov.12, 2009
On Nov. 5th, 2009 I ran a short blurb about Nikon and their new ideas of possibly adding GPS to one of their cameras. There patent is already in the works but Garmin has just come out with a phone with GPS. Not only does this phone have GPS, but it also has a camera. I have been seeing commercials for the new Nuvi phone. Nuvi is a particular GPS model that Garmin produces and they did not waste any time producing a GPS unit with built in camera, video camera, MP3 and MPEG4/AAC and other essential goodies . Not even Nikon can keep up with the competition and technology.You can investigate this on your own or go directly to this link to find out more: http://gizmodo.com/350894/nuvifone-garmin-drops-a-phone-into-the-gps
Nov. 11, 2009
Check out my most recent vidcast upload titled “Masai and the Lion” on my Vidcast post by clicking on this link: http://www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/03/05/vidcast/
Last Days of Fall
Nov. 5, 2009 5:45 EST
Last Days of Fall can be view at my Backyard Captures post by clicking on this link: http://www.DickBerryPhotography.com/2009/05/26/backyard-captures/
Nov. 5, 2009
This news is somewhat old for Nikon but if you haven’t already read about this you might find it interesting. Nikon has applied for some patents recently that could make photography just a little easier . This seems to be the case every month and it’s extremely hard to keep up with the growing technology that will be on the market in 6 months after you read this.
One patent is for built in geotagging and a mapping system like what you would find on a Garmin. I’m surprised it has actually taken this long.
Built in GPS for Nikon
The next little patent is for a built in distortion correction system which is what every consumer needs to correct their fantastic looking architectural shots! I can throw all my large format systems away now-won’t need them!
Distortion Correction System
Another rumor is that Nikon is also working on built in WiFi! Soon you will be holding your DSLR up to your ear and talking into your lens!
Nikon Rumors has all this info and more. Great site which I have on my left sidebar under Photographic Links http://nikonrumors.com/
Lets start off with my first news feed dealing with submitting my blog to a site called AllTop. Now I am not quite sure how difficult it is to get your blog/website accepted with these folks but give it a try, submit your blog, or site and see what happens. I think the changeling aspect is to have your site on their page titled “Whats hot on AllTop” This is a short synopsis of what this site is all about:
The purpose of Alltop is to help you answer the question, “What’s happening?” in “all the topics” that interest you. You may wonder how Alltop is different from a search engine. A search engine is good to answer a question like, “How many people live in China?” However, it has a much harder time answering the question, “What’s happening in China?” That’s the kind of question that we answer.
We do this by collecting the headlines of the latest stories from the best sites and blogs that cover a topic. We group these collections — “aggregations” — into individual web pages. Then we display the five most recent headlines of the information sources as well as their first paragraph. Our topics run from adoption to zoology with photography, food, science, religion, celebrities, fashion, gaming, sports, politics, automobiles, Macintosh, and hundreds of other subjects along the way.
You can think of Alltop as the “online magazine rack” of the web. We’ve subscribed to thousands of sources to provide “aggregation without aggravation.” To be clear, Alltop pages are starting points—they are not destinations per se. Ultimately, our goal is to enhance your online reading by displaying stories from sources that you’re already visiting plus helping you discover sources that you didn’t know existed.
Check out Alltop when you get a chance@- http://photography.alltop.com/ Scroll down to the end of the page and look for Dick Berry Photography!
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May 2, 2010
Orchard Blooms
Jan.11, 2010
Abstract Ice
The Solitaire Pine image below was taken with a Nikon CoolPix 995. I was pretty excited when I received this camera as a gift from my wife. I was on my way to fame and fortune with this sweet little package. The specs on this camera were impressive at the time and it got good reviews from dpreview at this link: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_cp995.asp. It had a 3.34 megapixel, 1.13 inch, high-density CCD delivering images as high as 2,048 x 1,536 pixels (including a 3:2 aspect ratio, 2,048 x 1,360 pixel size).
Well it was a start and we all have to begin somewhere.
Nikon CoolPix 995
Pretty good quality and yes there was some post processing done in Photoshop and LR. It was shot down in my ravine just behind my home. Winter hit pretty hard and fast as far as temperatures were concerned. Winter has a way of creeping up on us in Michigan. Teasing us, and pulling us off guard to the point of talking ourselves into thinking it’s going to be an easy winter! At least this is what happens to me. Get out and shoot, even if it’s in your own back yard!
Solitary Pine
Last Days of Fall
Inland Lake of Grand Mere State Park
Sailing into the Sunset
What does the end of August mean to you? Getting your kids back to school or maybe yourself. Trying to finish up projects around your home that you have been meaning to do all summer, but had just one more thing to do before you got to the one you really wanted to do. Does it remind you of how fast time really seems to just slip by and another changing season is right at our back door. I can feel it in the air, and even smell that fall is approaching with winter not to far behind. For me it’s all of what I have just asked plus the fact that we are headed into another Michigan winter. Living on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan winters can become long and sometimes downright depressing-if you let the weather get to you. Winter has it’s own beauty but you have to be willing to get out and find it. Since this is the last day of August for most of us in North America I wanted to post what I would call Sailing into the Sunset and the last great day of summer! This image was captured from Lions Park Beach in Saint Joseph, Michigan. I would consider this to be in my Backyard since it’s only a few miles from home. Hope all of you reading this had a great summer and are looking forward to your fall and approaching winter season. This image was posted August 31, 2009 at around 10:10PM EST.
I recently added another image to my post titled Outside of Michigan which can be viewed by going to this link www.dickberryphotography.com/2009/03/09/outside-of-michigan/
The title of the image is Dominate Sea Stack and if anyone has visited this area in Washington you will recognize this formation. Second Beach is where you will find this awe inspiring piece of rock.
The shot below is another one of my “Backyard Captures” which was taken in the early spring. This shot always reminds me of some sort of insect which I have yet to make a comparison to. Any thoughts on this are welcome. I have watched this particular branch every season and have shot it in the late spring, fall, and winter. At this point I think my chances are gone because it no longer looks the same. Again look in your “Backyard” for opportunities and I think you will find something no matter how small or big your “Backyard” is!
Spring Thaw
Snapping Turtle
Baby Snapper or in Latin terms Chelydra serpentina is what my son is holding. I am not a zoology student or for that matter Steve Erwin so your better off visiting University Michigan’s Museum of Zoology.http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Chelydra_serpentina.html
The reason for putting this little snapper up on my blog is the fact that I found it in my own backyard. Not in some far away place that you think you need to be to get great photography. This shot is not going to win any awards, or get me recognized as being one of the great nature shooters of all time. The point is look hard enough and you will find an image worth taking! Good luck and keep shooting! Almost forgot that you should tread lightly as you drive down the roads because these snappers are looking for water or looking for a place to lay their eggs. If you find one crossing the road help it out, but keep your eye on the traffic when doing so!
Originally when I started this blog I wanted to showcase images that literally came from my own backyard. Most of the images on my blog were taken around the state of Michigan and beyond, but these captures of the female raccoon and her kit were taken right out my backdoor. She will pop up from time to time to to get some breathing room and let her kit nurse at the same time. The mother comes down at dusk to feed off of sunflower seeds from our feeder plus empty most of the seed out of the feeder every evening. I kept wondering how the heck the birds were eating all the seed every day. Now I know! My lens of choice for the shot was my Nikon AF-S VR-70-200mm 1:2.8G. This has got to be one of Nikon’s best zoom lenses and if you want to know more go to http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/nikon_70-200_2p8_vr_n15/ or for that matter straight to the manufacture.http://nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Camera-Lenses/index.page
Female Raccoon and Young
Female and Kit
Female Raccoon
Filed Under Michigan | 7 responses
Opuntia engelmannii
The southwestern part of the United States is abundant with the Prickly Pear Cactus. This particular image was taken just outside Sedona, Arizona. They grow just about anywhere in the desert and if your not looking you may just trip over them. In Arizona they are used for landscaping, erosion control, in food, syrup, medicinal purposes, you name it just about anything. So in other words folks here in the USA just love this cactus. I hope you do!
Not so in Australia where they despise them and want to eradicate them. They consider them to be a very invasive weed and really do not have anything good to say about the Prickly Pear. What I find extremely interesting is that this hatred goes back to around 1870! In fact the Prickly Pear Destruction Act was passed. Just goes to show you how hardy they are. if you ever do go to Australia I highly recommend you keep your love for the Prickly pear to yourself.
Arizona Heron
Alligator
I walked by this rock formation and it was a second take for me when I first saw it. It looked too much like the back side of an alligator. Fascinating what millions of years of erosion can do to a piece of rock! Below is Wikipedia’s definition of what erosion is and what takes place to make formations like the image below.
“Erosion is the removal of solids (sediment, soil, rock and other particles) in the natural environment. It usually occurs due to transport by wind, water, or ice; by down-slope creep of soil and other material under the force of gravity; or by living organisms, such as burrowing animals, in the case of bioerosion.”
Red Rock
If anyone visiting my blog has been to Arizona you will know where I am referring to and why it’s called Red Rock Country. The environment is awe inspiring and extremely harsh at the same time. If you travel to Arizona pick up info and maps from the US Forest Service, http://www.redrockcountry.org/ so you know where your going and how long you plan on being in a national forest or park. The temperatures are very extreme so hydration is important and finding shade is crucial if needed. Bugs are virtually non existent in Arizona but reptiles are abundant and very interesting if you come across any. Don’t worry about coming face to face with the native inhabitants of the Arizona desert-they usually see you before you even have a chance of spotting them. As far as photo gear is concerned a wide angle is important, good tripod, photo back pack, extra batteries for your DSLR, and more than one memory card. Polarizer, neutral density filters, and graduated filters would also be a good idea but not a necessity. When it comes to clothing the 2 most important items are a hat to protect your head from the sun and good hiking boots. I mentioned the sun-wear sun screen if your just arriving from the Midwest and look like your ancestors came from Norway. You will get burned without even realizing it. Oh one more item-H20! Don’t leave home without any water! You won’t find much in the desert, and if you find any water you will need a portable purification unit which is easily obtainable from http://www.rei.com/, or any other quality camping store.
Hanging On
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Jan. 21, 2010
16 weeks ago I posted this image and received some very nice comments from some of my friends. Last night when I was checking my blog this image was gone, vanished into thin air. Also the image below showing the Turnagain Arm no longer had a thin boarder around it like my other shots! Now I have learned quite a bit since I started this blog and by no means can I call myself Bill or Steve, but what happened? Maybe I hit the wrong key on my keyboard and deleted the image or entered some code in the wrong place but it makes no sense to me. One thing I would like to know is if I am working on my blog after I have logged in can someone actually see what I am doing and change things to my blog. I believe there is a plug in for WP that will basically hide what I am doing while I am at my admin panel, or whatever I am doing to my blog. If anyone can shed some light on this I would greatly appreciate your help. So on that note I am posting Dominate Sea Stack again for your viewing pleasure!
Dominate Sea Stack
Turnagain Arm
The shot above is the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, Alaska which looks like a harmless shallow body of water, and its mud flats may look good for walking, but they’re not. Just like quicksand, the flats can grab and hold the unwary. With some of the fastest tidal changes in the world, Turnagain Arm’s famous “bore tide” comes in – with a unique and deadly 6-foot wall of water, traveling at 15 mph,there’s no escape. Bore tides come in along Cook Inlet after low tide in a rolling wave. You can often hear a bore tide before you see it. It has a low, thundering roar, and is caused by narrow, shallow channels. The tide takes around 5.5 hours to get to the end of the inlet.
- Eastern Sea Oats
- Second Beach Sea Stacks
Olympic National Park in Washington State without a doubt has one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America. A 57-mile-long expanse of rock, seawater, and sand, the Olympic Coastal Strip holds some of the most rugged and picturesque coastline anywhere. It’s also the longest wilderness coastline in the United States, accessed by roads at only a few points.
The shot above was taken at Second Beach and you can’t help but get a decent shot at this location. Before you visit this area make sure you pick up a tide charts and predictions info for the day before you plan on exploring the area. This area can be very dangerous if you are not aware of the times when low and high tides take place. This particular spot is so rich with marine life that all you will be doing is taking shots and not paying attention to the high tide coming in.
The image below is just a vertical shot of the one above shot with a 300mm lens to bring emphasis to what is called “The Hole in the Wall”. Thousands, millions of years of erosion caused by the pounding surf as the tide comes in and out chiseled the hole in this sea stack. I can’t stress enough the importance of knowing when the tides are moving. When the tide goes out you can get to the “hole in the wall”, but if your not paying attention you can also get trapped by the high tide and not make it back!
- Hole in the Wall
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Storm Clouds
Highlighted Clouds
Cotton Clouds
Stratus Rain Clouds
Just three Latin words reveal the meanings of most cloud names: Stratus meaning layer; cumulus, the word for lump or heap; and cirrus, which means wispy or curly. Add to this basic group the word nimbus, which means ‘pouring down rain,’ alto, the word meaning middle, and fracto for broken and you’ve got almost the entire sky covered.
Cloud formations have always been a subject of interest to me so if I see a formation I like, I add it to my image library. Shooting clouds is really not technically difficult unless your shooting well after the sun goes down. You might need a tripod and a fast enough shutter speed to stop their movement. I personally use a 24mm lens because there is so much going on in a cloud formation and I don’t like to leave anything out of the frame. Grab your camera, point it toward the clouds, press the shutter, and your bound to get a good shot every once in a while. No worries, the clouds will always make you look like you know what your doing!
The cloud formation below that I posted is a formation of clouds from the aftermath of Hurricane Bertha.
Fair Weather Cumulus
Stratus
Moon
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Feb.8, 2010
Africa without Lions
Africa has always held this mystical place in my heart. Far reaching destination with abundant wildlife and ecosystems that seem on the surface to be totally untouched, void from man. Sure there are places in Africa that few people have been to and yes those destination do exist-at least for me. I can remember my grandfather always talking about Africa and it’s wildlife and how he wanted to visit sometime in his life. Well he never did make the trip and passed on many years ago and I have told myself that one day I will go for him and myself to make my family quest complete. It’s on my “bucket list” as they say.
This brings me to why I want to go so bad and that is to witness lions or the “big cats” in their environment, and doing what they do best. Top of the food chain, with not very many predators to bring them down. Yes the Hyena may be one culprit but only in numbers can they actually do harm to a lion. Lions and Hyenas have had this never ending hatred for each other-Centuries old and it will continue as long as both species exist.
Lions are perceived as an animal that is wide ranging, in great numbers and not going anywhere. This is far from the truth and their numbers are declining at a tremendous rate. Yes the Masai are killing them but doing so because lions kill their livestock-I can understand why they do this and who am I to pass judgment on their very survival-keeping their livestock alive keeps them alive.
Lets get down to why I want to educate the general public and after you read this post and watch the video there is a petition that you can sign to help the lions and in return will help every living creature in Africa including it’s people.
Furadan which contains Carbofuran is a pesticide which is manufactured by the company FMC in Pennsylvania. This pesticide has been banned in Europe but the company ships it to Africa where it is widely used. Furadan can be purchased for a low bargain price of a couple of dollars. Not to keep crops insect free but to kill lions that kill livestock. This chemical is extremely lethal! Tasteless and orderless and not only does it kill lions but any animal that ingests it. Vultures that feed off what the lions leave behind which is not much succumb to Furadan. Hippos that feed on vegetation die, and yes the opportunistic lion seeing a dead hippo start to feed and eventually die. When it’s injested there is no turning back. If an animal has been found that has ingested Furadan and is still alive it is usually shot-a far better way to go! You get the picture it’s a massive domino effect. Humans have even died from ingesting this because of what they eat on the food chain.
The general public doesn’t realize that if this continues lions will be completely gone from Africa in 10-20 years. Top predator gone….what do you think will happen next? Predator and prey relationship will be changed forever and it will not be good for any animal species.
Ok enough of my writing skills! Educate yourself about Furadan. I have included a link below for finding out about the chemical. While watching this video there is a short ad for Lipotore. Please don’t become impatient and decide not to watch it. This video is from “60 Minutes”, and one of the best I have seen on this subject because it gives you a very good idea of what is happening in Africa.
Next go to the link provided, fill out the form and hit the submit button. What your doing is sending a form letter to Kenya’s Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, asking to ban the sale and distribution of Furadan in Africa.. Do it people, there is no more time to procrastinate on this
Petition to sign and submit to end the sale and distribution of Furadan in Africa:https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1635&JServSessionIdr004=98z9swgui2.app223.
Manufacture Info on Furadan
http://msds.fmc.com/msds/100000013862-MSDS_US-E.pdf
CBS 60 Minute video “Poisoned”
Thanksgiving Day
Nov. 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving to all you folks in America and around the world! Hope your having a great day with family and friends and realize how fortunate we all are and that there are many things in our lives to be thankful for.
This next vidcast below is from another NatGeo shooter and every time I few this clip it always amazes me. The patience, and ability to capture this is something I admire! Give the clip some time to load before you view it. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for stopping by my blog.
The next vidcast on my blog has to do the tragic decline of the African lion. On February 8, 2010 I posted another video that is more in depth on what is happening to lions in Africa. I am sure most people really don’t think there is a problem with the African lion and their diminishing prides . It’s understandable, they are so far removed from our lives and really what difference does it make is what most people would ask? This story is no different than what’s happening to polar bears, brown bears, or any large predators around the USA and world. The loss of these great predators is just a barometer of what is really happening in our ecosystem. I can understand the Masai people and why they have to kill lions to sustain there own life. It’s people like the Jouberts who are on the forefront of this campaign to start educating not only the general public but helping the Masai understand why they need to protect this great predator. I have yet to go to Africa to see lions but it has been a dream of mine to someday be able to observe them and come back with images of these great cats.
The vidcast below is about the ILCP which stands for International League of Conservation Photographers. Check it out and read a short description of what this group is all about and what they stand for. You can also link to their website at http://www.ilcp.com/
Who We Are.
Our mission is to further environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography.
We believe that awe-inspiring photography is a powerful force for the environment, especially when paired with the collaboration of committed scientists, politicians, religious leaders and policy makers. We plan to replace environmental indifference with a new culture of stewardship and passion for our beautiful planet.
* CONSERVATION. Helping to safeguard the biodiversity of the planet and the integrity of natural ecosystems.
* COMMITMENT. Remaining true our to our values and photographic and conservation aims
* INTEGRITY. Adherence to moral and ethical principles especially in our behavior towards and depiction of the natural world.
* GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS. Using our photography to educate and inform with integrity and to communicate conservation messages worldwide.
* LEADERSHIP. Showing the photographic community by example what can be achieved.
* PHOTOGRAPHIC EXCELLENCE. Striving to attain the highest quality photography possible – pushing the boundaries.
* COLLABORATION. Using our combined strength and joining forces with like-minded organizations to further our conservation aims.
The ILCP seeks to empower conservation photographers by creating an organizational structure that allows them to focus on the creative aspects of their work while at the same time finding venues that allow their images to make a significant contribution to the understanding and caring of the environment.
OK, so your probably wondering why I am posting videos about wildlife on my photography blog. Well for one reason I am passionate about wildlife and when you mix still photography and film together you have a winning combination. Beverly Joubert does both and her husband Dereck is considered to be one of the best wildlife documentary filmmakers in the world.
The Jouberts co-produce all of their films. Dereck Joubert directs, films and writes the scripts; Beverly produces and records sound. Beverly Joubert photographs have appeared in countless National Geographic magazines. Filmmaking for them has always been a way to bring the message of conservation to audiences.
Check out this husband and wife team and take the time to watch some of the films they have made and what they have to do in order to end up with award winning results.
Enjoy this short clip and from time to time I will post other short videos that pertain to wildlife photography, and wildlife cinematography.
http://www.ilcp.com/
http://www.wild.org
National Geographic embodies great shooters who produce great images under the most adverse conditions. One particular individual one sticks in my mind and is one of National Geographics contributing photographers is Joel Sartore. If you have not heard of him pick up a Nat Geo because chances are you should find his credit line within it’s pages.
I posted this short clip on my blog because Joels photography not only speaks about who he is as a shooter but what he has to say about our environment.
This clip also gives the viewer a very brief synopsis of the life of a National Geographic photographer which is not all fun and games as one might think!
I added the vidcast below because of Michael “Nick” Nichols who is another outstanding Nat Geo photographer. You can visit his website at http://michaelnicknichols.com/. Nick has been around the world and has some very powerful images. He is very passionate about wildlife and his images can be very emotional, but they get the message across about what humans are doing to their own planet and animals.
Last but not least is the multimedia production company called MediaStorm who was involved with this video and take the time to learn more about them at http://mediastorm.org/ . Very talented group of people and also impressive are the photo journalist who have their work published on MediaStorm. Well worth following the link!
Follow the link below to view the video titled Ivory Wars.
Zakouma National Park in Chad is home to one of the world’s largest remaining concentrations of elephants.
Zakouma’s armed guards have ensured sanctuary for the hundreds of species that reside within the park. At great personal risk, the guards fight a dangerous war against poachers who hunt the animals for their value on the black market or as cultural talismans.
But as perennial rains arrive to replenish the desert landscape, some 3,500 elephants search for better forage outside the park’s perimeter, where poachers await them.
Conservationist J. Michael Fay and National Geographic photographer Michael Nichols traveled to Zakouma during the wet season in 2006 to discover the danger just beyond the park borders that threatens the refuge’s very existence.
http://mediastorm.org/0016.htm
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Beginning of Winter
Evening Wind
Decided to add some random images that feel a little warmer. Nothing in particular and nothing necessarily having to pertain to winter since I’m getting a little tired of it.
For the past 3 years my wife and I have gone to Mexico to escape the endless Michigan winters. We both decided to stay home this winter and spend the money on our house and stimulate our own local economy. How boring is that?
Tiscornia Beach Trail
Contours in the Sand
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Feb. 25, 2010
Ice Triplets
How often do you photograph the scene as a whole and call it good after that? My wife would describe me as someone who shoots for the detail in a shot. If you break down a single shot you can come away with a multitude of other images that tell even more of the story. While shooting the North Pier Lighthouse in Saint Joseph, Michigan I am always looking for smaller vignettes that tie in with the original overall shot.
Catwalk Detail
I’m cheating just a bit and posted this image above titled Catwalk Detail from last winter to get us all ready for another winter of great images from the pier and beyond. I really look forward to getting out on the ice and one must be properly prepared for this or you will not be found if at all until next season. It can get pretty dangerous on the pier and the surrounding ice. Get yourself some good ice cleats and dress warm-it gets cold very fast! If you do head to the pier make sure you let someone know your plans. Take your cell phone in case something happens. Whenever I tell my wife I’m headed to the pier to get some shots her reply is-”You have enough shots of the lighthouse”. Every time I go out to the North Pier it never looks the same and I am always pleased with the results I come back with. Check back later in the season to see my new winter images of the pier-let me know what you think!
Frozen Railing
Texture, Color & Ice
Curtain of Ice
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February 4, 2010
New image from the North Pier looking at the Outer Lighthouse was taken before the temperatures took a climb and melted what your looking at. It was really amazing to be out on the pier at sunset and witness all these formations, and how it transforms the pier into a completely different environment. I actually like shooting the pier in the winter because it’s constantly changing. The North Pier will never look the same in a 24 hour period in the winter months. I think I have mentioned before that it can be a very dangerous place if your not prepared for it. So if you happen to be out on any pier during the winter months please be careful and take your time walking around and be aware of your surroundings.
North Pier Sunset
North Pier Lighthouse & Catwalk
The two shots with borders were generated using onOne software that I’m sure most of you have heard of or seen applied to photographs. I personally like the use of them as long as the border does not overpower the shot. The applied borders on the shots below were generated by PhotoFrame Pro 3.0. At present they have updated to 4.0 which looks like they have added some creative and useful borders and edge effects. My one criticism about the software is that you have literally thousands to choose from and will hardly ever use all of them. You will find that you gravitate towards your favorites leaving the other borders/edge effects within the software to just sit on your hard drive.
North Pier Catwalk
How cold does it have to be to keep you home, sitting on the couch, and missing out on getting some good photos? Will you go out when it’s below 10 degrees Fahrenheit if you think you might get a good shot.
It was about 5PM on January 16, 2009 when my son Reed and I decided to head to Tiscornia Beach to grab some shots of the North Pier Lighthouse in Saint Joseph, Michigan. Due to heavy snowfall, and roads that had not been plowed, we had to park our vehicle outside of Tiscornia and make our way to the pier .
Walking the extra couple of hundred yards just to get to the pier was bone chilling. In total I took about 60 shots, spent about 1 hour on the pier. At that junction in time our fingers and toes had gotten extremely cold to the point of numbness. The decision was made between to very cold guys. Time to go.
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